Indian Railways to have Switzerland-style coaches by December

With an objective to boost tourism and attract upscale tourists from India as well as abroad, the Indian Railways announced the launch of Switzerland-style designed coaches. The coaches will have a glass ceiling and state of the art infotainment systems.

Indian Railways Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) chairperson and managing director AK Manocha said “These coaches will have rotatable chairs to provide thepassengers an aerial view. The coaches also have ample leg space and are also equipped with state-of-the-art infotainment systems”. The first of these coaches will be tagged in a regular train in Kashmir, while two others will be part of a train that transverses the Araku Valley in Vishakhapatnam, Manocha said, adding that entire trains fitted with such coaches will be operated at a later stage.

As per a report by Hindustan Times, the coaches have been jointly designed and developed at the Chennai-based Integral Coach Factory in consultation with the IRCTC and the Research Designs and Standards Organization (RDSO) at a cost of Rs 4 crore a piece.